How things work: Taxidermist Bashny.Net

I became a taxidermist by accident in 2006. I went to the dentist, my friend saw an ad near our college, that the workshop looking for assistants, and decided to go there. I went with him for company. A friend of a couple of months could not resist and went: the profession still specific. And I've been working so far. It is not for the lazy: here piecework wages, and the job requires love.
Some are engaged in taxidermy is not to earn money, but for themselves - treated game trophies or make your own stuffed for friends. For me, it is a permanent job. You have to be very careful. I've always liked to do something with their hands, so I was able to get along with taxidermy.
Learn our business can be a lifetime. My first purchase was a moose. I gave him, and said, "Do!" The first time came, of course, not very. Over the years I have made so many stuffed animals, even those which had not previously heard.





Normally, we bring only the parts of the animal, from which you want to make a scarecrow. For example, deer head, paws or skin on dressing. It happens that they bring and whole - bears, squirrels, cheetahs, wolves. Before you send the carcasses to us, their salted. In the workshop we will eviscerate them and make stuffed animals. In the first place I always ask - and what stuffing? Straw? No, we do special mannequins, almost statue of polyurethane foam. Due to this, the figures are obtained with light and strong. Then comes the assembly: the statue on top of wool and sewn items: fingers, eyes, ears. After that, to make up the lips, eyes, eyelids. It flaunts all the usual acrylic paint.



When I came into the profession, they brought mainly elk, deer and game midland. In recent years, the hunters become increasingly chosen abroad, so we started to do a lot of stuffed African animals. On my account I had giraffes, cheetahs and even the head of an elephant. Often from abroad bring these beasts, which I had not even heard. For example, we had an order for the brown hyena with huge ears and bushpiga (a kind of wild boar). Over the past three years, I did only one deer.
Some companies make stuffed only on certain models. For example, should bear with open mouth on his hind legs, or otter sitting on a branch. We do not have this, we prefer an individual approach. Sometimes the customer comes up with the idea, sometimes we do offer something unusual.

In recent years, the hunters become increasingly chosen abroad, so we started to do
a lot of stuffed African animals
Most small animal that I did - the squirrel, and the largest - the elephant. Qualitatively, do squirrel longer and more difficult than any huge predator. Last month, I had an order for two bears, and two ferrets that were to "play on a branch." Under natural conditions, ferrets do not play on the branches, but it was the desire of the customer. Bears I did in four days, and ferrets took me three weeks, I was taken, I started to do, I did not like, and I'm putting it off. It is important that I myself liked the result, stuffed to look natural. Its flaws are always striking, even if the customer does not notice them.



Usually, we are approached by hunters: they need a stuffed either for themselves or as a gift. We have a regular customer who makes paintings, installations of scarecrows. For example, he recently made a scene: a fox lying in the bath, her broom pounding rabbit. This fox skinned below the waist, and there looks human ass. Or was once a wild case: a man ordered to make a scarecrow of a guinea pig while she was standing on chicken legs, and from the head she had to hang deer antlers. These clients are also, but such orders slightly scary. It is one thing - to create a beautiful stuffed, unusual, and quite another - to mock the unfortunate animal's body.
More recently we ordered beavers they had to stand as the people in suits bouncers. Told as a gift to someone. I once had to make a stuffed dog for a theatrical production. It was a very difficult job: they had to the whole body moving and the blood poured out to, because the script a dog hit by a car. I did not like. When we have to work with pets, there are some psychological complexity. Wild animals do not you see next to him every day, so working with them is somehow easier. I decided that if I still somehow bring the body of a dog or a cat, I would refuse. Let him do somebody else.
There was once a wild case: a man ordered to make a scarecrow of a guinea pig while she was standing on chicken legs, and from the head she had to hang deer antlers



Fear I have ever had. The only thing to get used to - the smell. Especially bad smell of exotic animals, from somewhere in Africa or Argentina. They all need to be as careful, because while working can be transmitted. I heard a story about a taxidermist, who cut himself while working, and in his mind settled worms. They ate quietly brain, people went mad with pain. As a result, I broke down and shot himself. Of the African countries, by the way, are not allowed to remove the carcass if they have not spent six months there in quarantine. There are animals all the time in salt solutions.
In general, it is better not to take on animals without documents. No one can guarantee that a healthy animal, also may have trouble. My boss once took away from some nursery rysёnka, who died a natural death, and made him a scarecrow. He showed it to the show, and it turned out that this is a special version of the lynx, an endangered species. Such cats on the planet about five left. He had to prove in court that he did not kill the animal.



Now divorced bunch taxidermists. Where do they come - is unclear. Will you come to the Internet, will find some studio watching them work - already is scary how bad things. And the money the wild tear! In Moscow, in fact, there are only three or four normal shops. Competition between us there is but reasonable. One studio we generally conveys complex orders: not only those who work in the city with broken skins, and we undertake for this.
Among taxidermists competitions. I still can not finishing, but colleagues are involved. My boss is now on this European Championships in taxidermy. However, they choose the winners controversial: the jury first looks at accuracy rather than natural stuffed. Sometimes you show the client the photo shot of stuffed animals and the magazine like National Geographic and ask where a living creature. If a person is thinking, well stuffed. But on the tenders for this is not particularly pay attention. They can win the samples in unnatural poses. My friend rented a bunch of points on such a championship because he was stuffed rack screwed bad. Though the stuffed animal (it was an eagle) was very well done.
I'm not friends with other taxidermists. I have little to do with them. They usually like to hunt themselves. In Moscow there are specialized institutions for the taxidermist, but they are of little avail. Our friends opened a course in this college. After a year of study to our shop girl came with a request to continue our education. It turned out that she does not know anything, teach it from scratch. And the girl a real fan of taxidermy. Women, by the way, in our case is not such a rarity. They are mostly engaged in birds: a thin, neat work. With mammals, particularly large, it is difficult to girls: try to raise a bear!
Women, by the way, in our case
not such a rarity. They are mostly engaged in birds: a thin, neat work



I myself do not like stuffed animals. Maybe it sounds strange, but I do not wear any leather or fur. I'm here this is enough. So I pinned on some fur collar? Never in my life! The maximum that reminds me of the work after hours - a pair of teeth on the key fob. I kept a picture of his work only to see how I develop.
One time I because of the smell did not eat fish. I then made a few stuffed otter, it was unbearable! They are a strong smell of fish. Then I was sick from the smell.
All my friends know what I do, and they do not think it's something strange. But from casual acquaintances often I hear jokes on the topic of my work. Somehow, there is a perception that all taxidermists some maniacs. In fact, the taxidermist is not a negative character. I consider myself a good person, without tilting. I do not like to kill animals, but had to. Once our regular customer brought two live muskrats and asked to make a scarecrow. I asked him - what do you killed them? He said he was sorry. I, too, was sorry, but what to do - I had to kill.



Each artist receives a percentage of the transaction. Cost stuffed depends: the size of the animal, the degree of complexity of the work, the condition of the fur and mascara. Stuffed birds can do six or seven thousand. Mammals are from ten thousand to several million. Stuffed elephant owner cost of half a million rubles. Masters earning respectively. The average salary is 70-80 thousand a month. It happens when not enough orders, and 30 exits, and maybe with a small 100 thousand. Here the main thing - to love his job, earning a name for himself authority. Then orders will be large.